Lost in Translation
by lamentomori
Summary: The tentative first steps in building a relationship besieged with cultural and language barriers. Warnings: Mild Slash (Finn Bálor/Hideo Itami), Mild Profanity, Fluff. (a continuation of the tale started in Xmas Carols: Chapter 22 O Christmas Tree)
1. Date Night

_Warnings: Mild Slash__ (Finn Bálor/Hideo Itami),__ Mild Profanity, Fluff. (a continuation of the tale started in **Xmas Carols: Chapter 22 O Christmas Tree**)_

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><p>The mistletoe incident at Christmas hasn't been brought up; in fact, everything has carried on much as it had been before, a friendship born of a mutual missing of home, and a mild distaste for the majority of American food, a friendship born of working together, of living together, but nothing more than friendship. Hideo spends time with his books, and his studies, and Finn sticks with trying to work out how to bring the kissing up, because he'd liked the kissing, and Hideo had seemed to like the kissing, which means there's no reason there can't be <em>more<em> of it.

They have slow stilted conversations, the many _ah_s soothing in their familiarity, the pauses for words to be translated back and forth in Hideo's head making it easier for Finn to make sure what he says is reasonable, and direct. The slower pace is beneficial for him almost more than it is for Hideo, it makes him consider his words in a way that talking to other native English speakers doesn't, makes him make sure his words are important enough to bother saying them. He doesn't want to waste Hideo's time and effort with needless words, so he's careful with them, almost as careful as Hideo himself.

Earlier in the week, there'd been a general invitation issued to go watch some movie, and whilst Finn isn't overly interested, he remembers a conversation with Hideo about this particular film, so he'd accepted on the expectation that Hideo would be coming too. He only he might be wrong in that expectation, because when he gets back to their room, Hideo looks settled for the night, surrounded by books, and a half finished sushi platter.

"You coming with us?" Finn asks, and Hideo glances up from the book he's studying today. On his face is an expression of confusion whilst he tries to work out where he's being invited. "We're going to the cinema, remember?" Finn clarifies, and Hideo shakes his head, going back to reading, marking something in the book with the pencil in his hand. Finn stares at him for a few seconds and sits on the couch by him. "Hey?" He nudges Hideo's shoulder.

"Ah?" _What do you want? I'm busy._ Translating the many and varied _ah_s most questions and comments get isn't difficult, second nature to Finn really having spent so long in Japan. It's not rude to respond with nothing more than _ah_, it's efficient, and he has to admit, he enjoys being able to understand those one syllable answers quite so well.

"We're going to see that movie you wanted to watch... You sure you don't want to come? You change your mind about wanting to see it?" He considers taking the book from Hideo, trying to persuade him more ardently, but there's another shake of his head, and Finn frowns to himself, mildly put out. Going to see a film, even with friends, is kind of like a date, and there's been very little in the way of _romantic_ involvement since those couple of kisses back at Christmas. He'd quite like a date, or even just some time spent together somewhere that isn't the Training Centre or this room.

"I will wait for..." There's a pause whilst the right word is summoned, and Finn waits for it, knowing enough to know to be patient whilst Hideo trawls through the ever-growing bank of words he knows, but doesn't use often enough to recall right away. "Subtitles." The word is finally found, and Finn winces, feeling like an idiot. Watching a movie is all well and good, and it would be fun to have Hideo come with him, but it wouldn't be any fun for Hideo. It'd be more like a lesson, or an exercise in masochism. His English is getting better, but good enough to follow and understand everything going on in a movie it is not.

"_Ah_." Finn says slowly, and Hideo turns to him with a smirk, clearly understanding what Finn's own _ah_ meant. That little _ah_ meant _I'm sorry. I forgot. I'd translate for you, but that wouldn't be any fun for either of us_.

"Hmm... _Ah_." He smiles, and Finn sighs. He should have known really, and now Hideo is laughing at him without laughing, wearing a smirk on his face, giving him nothing but that overly amused _ah_.

"Well, I'll stay put then." He settles more comfortably down. It'd be fun hanging out with the boys, but it'd be better to sit almost cuddling Hideo as he studies. He might even work up the courage to slip his arm around Hideo's shoulders, and mess up his hair. Hideo shakes his head, a tense look on his face as his fingers tighten around the book in his hands.

"Go. Have fun... Tell me if it is worth to watch when you get back." He turns back to his book, and Finn takes it from him gently, setting it on the cushion between them.

"Worth watch_ing_. You wanted a gerund not the infinitive form of the verb." Finn grins at the confused look on Hideo's face. "What? I figured I should learn some stuff so I can help you out. I mean, we're together plenty, so you can talk to me more, and if it's just us it doesn't matter if you screw up, right?" He smiles, and Hideo glances away.

"Ah." _It still matters to me, and there's already a mistake, the thought is nice, but I'll practice until you don't have to point out my fuck ups._ Finn catches his chin and turns Hideo's face back to him. "Thank you for the correction. I will try to remember." He mutters, looking putout at being denied looking away.

"Pff... It's not a _correction_, it's me showing off." Finn laughs, and Hideo looks unconvinced. "I'll bring you back some pancakes." He stands, and gives up resisting the urge to kiss Hideo, brushing his lips over his forehead. "Chocolate chip, right?"

"Ah..." Finn isn't sure on the translation of that comment, because it was distracted, and content. It might just have been an agreeing noise, because Hideo doesn't look much like he's paying any attention to anything, sitting with a little smile on his face.

The movie turns out to be okay, probably not worth waiting for, and he's kind of glad he'd not dragged Hideo out to watch it. As they were leaving, he'd stood looking at the other movies playing, trying to find one in Japanese. He's decided he wants something of a date, and he's decided he wants it to be a movie. He's unlikely to find a theatre that plays English movies with Japanese subtitles, but there's a _chance_ he'll find a Japanese one with English subtitles. The others had questioned what he was doing, and he'd explained, rather awkwardly, what he was looking for, and then had to explain that Korean and Japanese were very different, and Chinese was even more different still. The staff in the cinema hadn't been overly helpful, but one girl had given him a web address for some little independent cinema that might play the sort of movie he's looking for. She'd clearly been giving him the eye, and he'd flirted with her enough to make her blush, but not enough to give her any ideas. He doesn't need random cinema employees getting ideas, not when he's trying to give them to Hideo.

_-_-zzz I'm sleeping - No pancakes! - Roomie-San_

The text comes just after they've filed out of IHOP, and Finn had already bought more chocolate chip pancakes than he knows what to do with. He supposes Hideo can have them for breakfast or something. He has to admit, he's kind of proud that Hideo had used the gerund for sleeping, but it's a silly thing to be proud of.

He tiptoes as quietly into their room as he can, and glances around, noticing the neat stack of books on the coffee table, the door to the little room Hideo sleeps in is closed. He supposes that he'd gone to bed a while ago, and Finn is kind of disappointed, feeling a little sorry for Hideo. It has to be boring for him being in a country where he can't speak or read the language well enough to do most normal things. Not having Japanese hadn't bothered Finn all that much, he'd had the rest of the gaijin to keep him company, but here Hideo _is_ the gaijin, and there's not really anyone he's going to be able to converse in his native language with. Finn has a little Japanese, a few words and phrases, enough to get by on his tours, but nowhere near enough to claim fluency, but even the little he had is slipping through lack of use. He thinks, as he sets the pancake box down on the counter, that he should make more of an effort. Around the little room, there are labels on things in English to help Hideo remember what they're called, and Finn thinks that tomorrow he's going to ask Hideo to add the Japanese to them. If Hideo is going to make an effort, Finn is too.

"So, do you want to come see a movie with me?" Finn asks a few days later, Hideo glances up at him, a tightly unimpressed look on his face, and another language book in his hands.

"Ah?" _We've had this conversation; English movies do not come with Japanese subtitles. It'd be too much hassle._ Finn sits down beside Hideo, and takes the book from his hands.

"I found this cinema that plays Japanese films once a week. I thought we could go." Finn smiles, and a tentative little smile flits over Hideo's lips, and Finn can feel something hopeful budding in his chest.

"Ah." _Sounds good._ Hideo reaches for the book Finn took from him, and pauses. "When?"

"Uh... Thursday." Finn fishes out his phone and checks the date in his calendar. He'd been hoping Hideo would agree, and had marked it down as something they could do regularly, something that he could evolve into _dates_ if given enough time.

"Thursday... I see." Hideo nods, and Finn smiles at him handing the book back to him.

"So it's a date?" Finn smiles, and Hideo nods, a slight quirk of a smile on his lips.

"Ah." _Yes_.

Thursday comes, and Finn tries to resist the urge to dress himself up overly nice. He _tries_, but he does wear something nicer than usual. Hideo looks a little nicer than usual too, but Finn isn't sure if that's because he thinks, like Finn, this is a _date_. Either way they head out together, Finn trying to keep the conversation light and simple, and Hideo trying to get information from Finn about the movie. In the theatre, Finn settles into the seat beside Hideo, and he looks more than pleased when the title screen shows nothing but Japanese. There's no English translation offered for the studios involved in making this movie, but Finn doesn't care, what he cares about is the smile on Hideo's lips. The rest of the movie has subtitles, but Finn finds himself ignoring them in favour of watching the pictures. He kind of wishes he'd found a movie that wasn't an anime, but it's Japanese, and Hideo seems happy enough with that. Halfway through the movie, there's a soft touch to his hand, Hideo's fingers brushing over his. Finn lets them entwine, and the rest of the film he ignores in favour of staring down at the tangle of fingers on his thigh. He'd wanted it to be like a date, and holding hands in the dark is about as date like as you can get. Once the film's finished, Hideo takes his hand back, and stands.

"Let's go. I will buy you dinner." He smiles, and Finn follows him out of the little theatre, down the street to a dark little hole in the wall. Inside there's lots of dark wood panelling, and old men drinking pints, there's a TV behind the bar, showing horseracing, the bar tender a ruddy faced old man, wiping a pint glass with a rag.

"That's fucking John McCririck... I thought that arsehole was fired." Finn mutters, and the old man behind the bar laughs.

"Aye, he wis." He nods, and Finn approaches the bar. It feels strangely like one of the many pubs back home, a little slice of the drudgery of Ireland transplanted into the bright lights of Florida. "But the arsehole ges good commentary, an' well, it's an old race, ain't no one placing bets fir money. If yer right, ya get a round free. _So_, I remember you fella." The old man turns to Hideo, and grins. "Take the table o'er by the fire, an' I'll bring yer order o'er te ye."

"What horses are racing?" Hideo's says very deliberately and the old man laughs.

"A bettin' man?" He puts a racing list down, and Hideo makes his choice, handing Finn the pen. "Hmm, if ye win lads, I'll gie ye this on eh hoose." The man laughs, and Hideo nods once, moving over to the table by the fire, Finn following along behind him. A middle-aged woman comes over with two pints, and Finn takes a drink. Good proper ale, none of that watered down cat-piss he's been used to for far too long, and it's glorious, even Hideo seems impressed, taking a good long draught of rich dark ale.

"This is okay?" He asks, and Finn grins at him. Okay isn't the word, it's incredible; it's a little sliver of home away from home. The old man comes over before Finn can answer, and sets down two bowls of stew.

"Beef and Guinness?" Finn asks, and the man laughs nodding, the middle-aged woman sets a plate of thick homemade looking bread down in the middle of the table, and a little plate with a slab of butter on it.

"Tea an' a proper choccy biscuit fir afters too... A penguin, no less. Yer pal was very _precise_ in his requirements." The old man wanders off, and Hideo smiles awkwardly.

"You have mentioned missing them." He says, and Finn taps his ankle with his foot, getting Hideo's attention easily enough.

"Thanks... This... Arigatō" Finn smirks at Hideo who simply rolls his eyes, and smiles back.

"If you start to spe..." He trails off, his eyes narrowed as he reformats the sentence in his mind. "If you start speaking Japanese, I will expect you to keep going." He smiles, and Finn grins back at him, not sure if he's proud of the gerund, or amused by the thinly veiled threat.

"Aye... Well, I know a little. You know... I mean, if you think it'd help, I can try speaking Japanese more, and you can help me make it better." He think that'll be a deal that'll satisfy Finn's desire to help Hideo without offending Hideo's fragile English confidence. If there's a chance to correct Finn, he'll take Finn's advice more willingly. They can be embarrassed together, and that should make it much easier for both of them.

"Ah." _I see what you're doing, and I appreciate it. I'll be a nice teacher, now eat your damn food_. Hideo smiles at him, and Finn takes a bite of the stew, savouring it. It tastes like a much better version of his mother's cooking. How Hideo found this place he isn't sure, but now that it's found, they're coming back. They'll go watch Japanese films in the theatre, and then come and eat the food of the gods in this little pub, and their Thursdays will be perfect _date_ nights.

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><p><em>I'm not going to lie, this is just for me... The more I watch of these two together, the more I fall in love with them and their being utterly adorable. They're ridiculously cute together... And ridiculously awesome in the ring... *^-^*<em>

**_I don't know if I stand alone on this ship (raft/dingy/plank of wood), but if you liked it, if you ship it, if you'd like more, please review!_**


	2. Shopping Trip

_Warnings: Mild Slash__ (Finn Bálor/Hideo Itami),__ Mild Profanity, Fluff. (a continuation of the tale started in **Xmas Carols: Chapter 22 O Christmas Tree**)_

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><p>Thursday was nice, though in fairness <em>nice<em> perhaps doesn't quite cover it. They managed to lose the bet in the pub, but from the expression on Hideo's face, it wasn't too expensive, so Finn's desire to go back will probably be indulged. It'd been fun sitting there watching the horses race, drinking pints, talking to the barman, translating to Hideo because the longer they stayed, the more the barman decided he wanted a pint with them, and the more he drank the less coherent he got. He'd been like the old barman back in his local, and the strange half-familiarity had been comforting. He'd had no idea who either of them were, and it was nice to just be two guys in a pub, drinking, watching the horses, talking to the barman, eating Penguins. That'd probably been the best part of the night, the entire twelve pack of Penguins Finn had consumed the majority of, biting the ends off and sucking his tea through to the horrified disgust of Hideo, until he'd tried it, and then well he's a good person and does watch his diet, but he did pack more than a few biscuits away.

The rest of the week, all the way until Sunday, they work like fiends, the gym packed out with the usual faces, the training classes that seem at once necessary and pointless. The WWE style is very different to the _strong_ style of Japan, and sometimes Finn wonders what the people who they have to train with would make of being wrestled in the Japanese way. It'd definitely make people look at Hideo different. You knew all about it when KENTA kicked you. Hideo is far more gentle, a kitten compared to the tiger he once was. Kitten is sometimes a very good analogy for Hideo, especially when he's sitting on the couch, looking all fluffy, curled around a book despite just waking up, a pot of tea on the table, two cups set out whilst it brews.

"Morning." Finn flops down on the other end of the couch, regarding the back of the book. It's covered in Japanese, and looks more like a novel, reading for entertainment rather than learning.

"Ah." _Morning, the tea should be ready, pour._ Finn shakes his head at his roommate, and pours two cups of tea, moving one closer to Hideo, making it clear it's for him. Finn sits sipping at his still slightly too hot tea, considering what to do today. There's nothing pressing, nothing major that needs to be done, though perhaps he should brave a visit to the shops. There's more than a few things they're running low on, and it'd be a good opportunity to spend some time out and about. It'd give Hideo a chance to use his English in new and exciting situations if nothing else.

"Do you have anything planned for today?" Finn taps Hideo's ankle, getting a slightly putout glance from him, whatever he's reading he's enjoying it, and Finn _almost_ feels guilty for dragging his attention away from the novel.

"No." He sets the book down, and takes up his teacup, folding his legs up under him. "I am not doing anything." He sips his tea, and looks consideringly at Finn, his head tilted to the side slightly, his hair sticking up in a million different directions. Kitten is a very good analogy for him sometimes.

"Ah." _Right, then! I have a plan for us_. Finn grins at Hideo, and grabs the notepad and pen from the table, turning to a blank page, and considering their living room. "We need to go shopping."

"Ah?" _We? Does it have to be we? Can it not be you? I'll stay here with my book, and this nice sunbeam I'm sitting in, and you can go yourself._ Hideo looks unimpressed, and Finn smirks at him, standing and wandering over to the kitchenette in one corner of the room.

"_We_. I hate shopping, you're coming with me." He mutters, shaking the bottle of washing-up liquid, and scrawling it down on his page. By the sounds of it, they watered this bottle down to nothing but slightly foamy water.

"Ah..."_ I hate shopping too, you know, but nothing I say is going to get me out of this, is it?_ Hideo yawns, and scratches at the back of his head, messing his hair up some more.

"You want to add anything to this list?" Finn asks once he's been through the entirety of their shared residence that he's permitted to go in. There's an unwritten, unspoken, rule that they don't go into the other's sleeping rooms. Those two pokey, little box rooms are sanctuaries from the rest of the World, almost sacred, and not places to be entered lightly or without permission.

"Shampoo." Hideo says after a pause. He stands, and finishes his tea. "I will put clothes on, and we can go..." He smirks at Finn, and Finn stares blankly at him. "I think that maybe you should put some on too." He laughs, turning away, and in a fit of maturity, Finn pokes his tongue out the back of Hideo head.

"If I go out in my skivvies we'll get served faster." He laughs, and Hideo turns back to him, confusion on his face. Finn isn't too sure what he said that could have caused the confusion, but Hideo looks increasingly annoyed with his inability to work something out. He gives a long-suffering sigh, and messes his hair up some more.

"What is ski-"

"Underwear." Finn snaps the waistband of the boxers he's wearing, and Hideo laughs at him, before disappearing into the bathroom.

The initial assault on the supermarket goes well, fruit and vegetables pose no problems for either one of them. They're seasoned experts in these fields, and there's not much anyone can do to make them confusing. The real problem comes when they get to the biscuit aisle. Tea needs a biscuit. Not with every cup, but a nice biscuit at the end of the day with a good cuppa, there's not much that can beat that. Although if their dates keep going well, Finn might be able to get more of the kissing in, and well tea and biscuits, as good as they are aren't going to top kissing. Hideo looks at him, something almost _nervous_ on his face, and gestures down the aisle.

"You know what you want?" He doesn't look too happy with the question, and leans over the trolley gazing balefully down at the contents.

"Ah." _I've no fucking idea, but I'll find something!_ Finn flashes him a grin, and Hideo seems to slump over further, not paying any attention to the many brightly coloured boxes on the shelves. Finn scowls down the aisle, and honestly feels out of his depth. Selecting the right biscuit should be an easy task. Back home it'd been a pack of Penguins, some Kit-Kats, or maybe a nice mint Club, but he's not going to find anything of their calibre here. The chocolate tastes different in the US. He'd thought Japanese chocolate was strange, but American chocolate is stranger still. He's not sure how you screw up chocolate, but you apparently can, and the Americans do. "Pocky?" He gestures to the first vaguely familiar box, and Hideo finally looks up. "You know you want it." Finn grins, and Hideo rolls his eyes, dropping a random box into the trolley. "I miss the Men's Bitter Dark Chocolate flavour... You know the ones in the greeny-blue box."

"Men's in white?" Hideo asks him, a fond smile on his face.

"That's the very ones." Finn nods, and he grins at Hideo. "I'm getting some from the Internet... I miss those little fuckers."

"Ah." _Thank you, I miss them too. I miss real junk food._ Finn nudges Hideo's shoulder, and keeps walking down the aisle, stopping in front of the Oreo section. "These?" Hideo asks. The blue and white boxes are familiar if nothing else. Oreo cookies are sold in Japan, sold in Britain, sold the World over, they're a known quantity, and Finn supposes they're probably a solid enough choice, but which kind to get. Choice is something the Americans seem to like a great deal. There's never any shortage of selections. It's all very contrasting to the town he grew up in. When he was a kid, there hadn't even been the choice of shopping on a Sunday. He wonders if little Fergal would be happy or bewildered if he'd been told that in the future he'd be faced with the surprisingly daunting task of choosing biscuits on a Sunday in America, and all whilst in the company of the most famous Japanese wrestler in the World, who's standing there looking bored and frustrated with the whole task of shopping.

"So... You wanna get double-stuffed?" Finn smirks, and Hideo _looks_ at him.

"Ah." _I get that's a joke, but I don't get why you think it's funny._ The double entendre is obviously lost on Hideo, but Finn couldn't help but it. He's always been amused by double-stuffed Oreos, really they should have known that was a joke waiting to happen, like spotted dick back home, some things are just amusing to those with puerile and childish minds.

"Ha... Yeah, nevermind. It's not that funny." Finn drops the box of cookies in the trolley, and keeps walking, still smirking to himself over his own joke.

"Ah." _It might be, but if the joke is lost by explaining it, it's okay._ Hideo seems utterly bored by this shopping quest, but to be honest so is Finn. Yet it's kind of nice in its boring normalcy, something that's familiar to them both, but made utterly foreign by the different things on shelves. That doesn't stop it from being shopping, and therefore utterly uninteresting.

"What else is on the list?" Finn asks once they've ventured to the end of the biscuit aisle. Hideo shrugs, and fishes Finn's shopping list from his pocket, staring down at Finn's looping scrawl that covers it.

"I... This might be washing powder." He offers, hope colouring his voice, and Finn snorts at him, taking the offered piece of paper, trying to decipher his own scribblings, but finding it far more difficult than he'd imagined.

"Ah..." _It might be, but I've no fucking clue. I'm gonna have to write nicer if I want either of us to be able to understand this._

"The next time, I will write the list. Then we can read it." Hideo laughs at him, and Finn can feel a pout on his lips, a childish putout pout, but Hideo has a point. If they want to be able to buy everything on the list, it'd be better to be able to read the damned thing.

"Fine, next time you can write it, but I'm getting to push the trolley." He's sulking, stupidly childishly sulking, and Hideo is laughing at him with his eyes.

"Ah." _Stop pouting, you're a grown man, act like one._ Finn smiles over at Hideo, and slows to walk at his side, absently steering him in the right direction for the washing powder. Once they arrive at the right aisle Hideo pauses, staring at the many brightly colour bags and bottles. "Which?" He waves his hand at the shelves, and Finn takes a deep breath. His natural instinct is to go for the cheapest, but he doesn't want to look too cheap, but then again, Hideo is a wrestler, _cheap_ is in his veins as much as it's in Finn's own.

"This is far too fucking hard." Finn sighs, as he stalks up and down the aisle, he's passed by these bags of powder a thousand times, and he's no idea which to pick. Hideo has given up even pretending to be interested, and is playing with his phone, his thumbs moving over the screen quickly. "One, two or three?" Finn asks, and Hideo shrugs.

"One." He's distracted, answering without looking, and Finn looks at the top shelf, at four different kinds of powder are up there.

"One, two, three, four?" He asks again, thinking he can guess at what Hideo is going to say, and starts reaching for the bag he'd mentally christened one.

"One." Hideo's still distracted by his phone, and Finn drops the big bag into the trolley. "We are finished?" He asks hopefully, and Finn nods. Even if they aren't, he's sick of this massive shop, and he's very sick of shopping.

"We're done." He nods, and Hideo slips his phone back in his pocket, pushing the trolley forward a little ways.

"Take this... There is a thing I need." He walks off, and Finn watches him leave, he's not sure what Hideo's off to do, but he's not going to argue. There was purpose behind Hideo's strides, he looked like a man off to war, and Finn decides that this is a battle Hideo can face alone.

Outside the store, Hideo is waiting for him, looking cagey, but Finn shrugs it off, and imaging that his random personal side-quest has been accomplished. The trip back home is quiet, but that's not really a surprise. Quiet is something Finn is used to with Hideo, quiet is something comfortable and familiar in a land where everyone is in love with the sound of their own voices. Words between Hideo and himself are considered, careful, valuable, and treated accordingly. Every word is listened to, considered carefully before being verbally responded to, but there's an unspoken communication of glances, and facial gestures that he thinks are forming their own language, a language where _ah_ is the most important syllable.

The first thing Hideo does once they're inside is switch on the kettle, with Finn rinsing out the pot and putting more leaves into it without needing to be asked. Tea is something both of their cultures have in common, and it's something Finn is beyond grateful for. A good cuppa beats out most anything, and makes a hellishly dull shopping trip seem worthwhile. Whilst the kettle boils, and then as the tea brews, they put the shopping away, finishing just in time for the tea to have cooled enough to drink. Finn carries the pot and the Pocky to the table, flopping down with an absent-minded groan. Hideo fidgets for a few seconds, staring at him and goes to his bedroom.

"I bought a..." Finn glances up at Hideo as he comes back, his laptop in one hand, and a cable in the other. He frowns at the cable, clearly trying to think of the word, and Finn waits wondering if he'll try and find the word, or trust Finn to know what a cable is. "HDMI connector." Finn laughs, and Hideo smirks at him. "I needed to know what it was to ask for it." He mutters, ducking behind the TV, and plugging the cable in first to the TV and then his computer. "There are many sites..." He boots the computer up, and starts typing, summoning up a Japanese streaming site. "There are many shows with _subtitles_." He stresses the word carefully, and Finn laughs. It's a good idea, he can watch Japanese shows with English subtitles, and Hideo can watch English ones with Japanese words to follow.

"We're still going out on dates?" Finn pours two cups of tea, and opens the Pocky, tearing open one of the two packets inside, devouring a stick.

"Thursdays are good." Hideo doesn't elaborate, and Finn snorts in amusement at him. Thursdays are good, but he's still no idea if Hideo is actually getting that Finn is referring to them as_ dates_ for a reason. He's going to have to try and explain that when he says dates, he _really_ does mean _dates_.

"They are..." Finn taps the screen on a show he's behind on. "That one?"

"Ah." _I have no objections to it._ He clicks something to the up next playlist, and settles down on the couch by Finn, close enough that their thighs brush lightly.

"You want one?" Finn asks with a Pocky stick between his lips, offering the packet to Hideo. A slight smirk creeps over his lips. He leans forward, and bites the stick between Finn's lips all the way down, his lips brushing Finn's own briefly before he leans away.

"Thank you." He grins, and takes a new stick from the packet, balancing it between his lips as Finn had moments before. Finn sits still staring at him for a few seconds, and snorts, leaning over and biting the stick before Hideo can, then drapes his arm over the back of the couch, ruffling Hideo's hair, and taking a new stick. Turnabout is fair play after all.

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><p><em>Well holy smokes this got more reviews than I thought! I'm super surprised, and ridiculously happy there are so many aboard!<em>

_Many thanks to the lovely and glorious reviews: **Moiself, Rebellecherry, patchworkangel, .98, AshJoiVillette, and Guest.**_

**_I now know that I stand not alone on this ship (raft/dingy/plank of wood), but still if you liked it, if you ship it, if you'd like more, please review!_**


	3. Man on the Moon

_Warnings: Mild Slash__ (Finn Bálor/Hideo Itami),__ Mild Profanity, Fluff. (a continuation of the tale started in **Xmas Carols: Chapter 22 O Christmas Tree**)_

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><p>The Thursday after the great shopping expedition sees both Finn and Hideo back in the little independent cinema to watch another Japanese movie. It's another anime, and Finn's kind of disappointed, he'd been hoping they'd play something that wasn't all bright colours and super cuteness, but at least it's in Japanese, <em>and<em> he gets to hold Hideo's hand in the dark again, so it's not all bad. Afterwards, it's back to the pub, another rich plate of stew, some more ale, with tea and biscuits for afters. All in all, it was a nice little _date_, but he's still no idea if Hideo is aware that they're going on dates or not. He's not exactly made his thoughts on the matter clear, but that's no surprise. He's not exactly communicative, well that's not quite true, he communicates, he just doesn't _say_ much. Silence isn't bad though, silence is nice, _familiar_ really. There's a lot of time when Finn would like the rest of the World to place as much importance on words as Hideo does, but there's little chance of that, especially in the USA. People like the sound of their own voices here, people like their voices to be loud, and heard by everyone. Back home seems very subdued in his memories, and Japan positively mute by comparison. Different cultures, different ways of acting in public, different standards of what is and isn't acceptable.

A light shove has Finn startled from his thoughts, and catching himself from colliding with the wall of the building they're walking past. He turns to scowl at his companion, wanting an explanation for the rude shove he just got.

"What was that for?" He snaps, and Hideo looks at him, and then pointedly down at the ground, at a large dog stool Finn had almost stepped in.

"Dog..." He pulls an odd face, fishing for the right word, and Finn laughs, stepping around the dog muck on the ground, and starting to walk once more.

"Shit... Dog shit." Fin laughs, throwing an arm around Hideo's shoulders, feeling him tense up, and he quickens his pace slightly to get out from under Finn's carelessly, but harmless gesture.

"Ah." _Don't do that... Not in public... It's... Just don't._ His face is turned down to the street, watching where he's going, and Finn shrugs, turning to look up at the moon, walking along a little ways behind his companion. The Japanese aren't known for being a _tactile_ people, he should have expected that, but it's still marginally disappointing. There's a sting in the air, and Hideo was nice and warm. "You are walking slowly." _L_s still pose problems for Hideo, he's still very cautious with them, trying to make them as clear as possible. _V_s he tries to avoid like the plague, and there's a part of Finn that wants to find someone with a good Russian name, something all _L_s and _V_s to force Hideo into practicing them more. Practice brings confidence, and confidence would bring more conversation.

"Thinking..." Finn shrugs, catching up, not taking his gaze from the moon. There's a lot to be fascinated by in the night sky, a lot to stare at, a lot to think about. It's easy to stare up there and feel for a brief second comfortable when he spots a familiar constellation.

"There is a story." Hideo says suddenly, his hand on Finn's arm, pulling him to a small park, and then dragging him to sit down on a bench.

"A story?" It'd be nice if Hideo told the story, but Finn isn't getting his hopes up _too_ high. There's much more of a chance that this will be all Hideo decides to say on the matter, than he decides to actually tell the story. It'd be the sort of aborted half-conversation that Finn dreads. He's happy to listen to mistakes, he's happy to offer gentle correction, but it truly seems that pride will keep Hideo's lips sealed far more than Finn's kindness will open them.

"Ah... A story about the moon, my grandmother told it to me when I was a child." There's a hint of a smile on Hideo face, a smile that's nostalgic for memories that happened long ago, but are closely treasured. Finn stares up at the moon, wondering about this story, _legend_ he supposes, but Hideo says nothing, just sits there, staring up at the moon too.

"What is this story?" Finn asks eventually, and Hideo laughs softly, moving a little closer, their thighs pressed together.

"Long ago, an old man lived on the moon." He frowns at his pronunciation of _lived_, annoyed that the _L_ sounds more like an _R_, and the _V_ like a _B_, but Finn nudges him slightly, hoping to distract him from his mistakes and move on with his story.

"Ah." _C'mon, I wanna hear this story, tell me._ Hideo turns to him, and Finn smiles encouragingly. A tentative little smiles creeps over Hideo's lips, and his tongue darts out, wetting them slightly.

"The old man was lonely. He had been on the moon on his own for a long time, and he wanted a friend, but not just any friend, a good, _kind_ friend, a _pet_ of sorts." Hideo pauses again, his attention on the moon once more. "So he went to the Earth, and disguised himself as a beggar. He went to the forest, where he met three animals who were friends. A monkey, a fox, and a rabbit."

"Strange animals to be friends, don't you think?" Finn chuckles, and Hideo snorts, tapping Finn's foot with his own.

"Do you want to hear this story or not?" He snaps, but the tone lacks any kind of heat. He's clearly going to tell the tale, even if Finn interrupts him multiple times.

"Of course, c'mon Jackanory, tell your story." Finn laughs, and Hideo looks at him oddly. He doesn't get the reference, and Finn shakes his head, knowing about British children's television isn't overly important, especially as they live in the US.

"Ah." _Fine, keep your strange comments' origins to yourself._ Hideo clears his throat, and relaxes on the bench some more, his hands folded in his lap. "_'I'm so hungry.'_" Hideo's old man impression is more amusing than it should be, and Finn chuckles softly. "The animals, being kind creatures agreed to get the old man something to eat."

"They really were kind... I can't see me just fetching some old beggar food just cause he said he was hungry." Finn laughs, and Hideo shakes his head, not commenting on the further interruption, but there's a smile on his face that forces one just as soft to Finn's lips.

"The monkey brought back a mountain of fruit for the old man. The fox caught a big fish, and laid it at the old man's feet, but the rabbit didn't know what to do. He could only eat grass, and grass was no good for a human to eat. _'Oh my... What to do? I have nothing to give the poor beggar.'_ The rabbit was distressed, but an idea came to him. _'Mr Monkey, will you bring me firewood?'_ The monkey brought the rabbit wood to build a fire with. _'Mr Fox, please help me make a fire.' _The fox did as the rabbit asked, and the beggar watched confused." Finn feels just as confused by this story. He's not certain where this tale is going, but Hideo seems to be having fun telling it. The little wispy voice he uses for the rabbit is _cute_, far cuter than a grown man should be. "_'Rabbit, what are you doing?'_ The old man asks, and the rabbit hops over to the fire. _'Mr Beggar, I have nothing for you to eat. Humans cannot eat grass like rabbits, but what I can do is this. I will go into the fire, and when I am cooked, you can eat me.'_"

"What? _No_! This is a story for children, and Mr Rabbit is hopping off into the flames? That's not right!" Finn _knows_ he sounds far more indignant than he perhaps should, but the rabbit's altruism is a little excessive, and if the bunny dies, so does Hideo's cute little rabbit voice.

"Shh, the story is not finished." Hideo smiles, and leans a _tiny_ little bit closer to Finn, their shoulders brushing together. "The rabbit hopped into the flames, but they did not harm him. The old beggar transformed himself back to being the old man of the moon, and the animals were amazed. '_Mr Rabbit, you are the kindest of all the animals, but you should not harm yourself so willingly. Your life is precious. Come, my friend, I will take you home to live with me.'_ The old man of the moon took the rabbit home with him, and if you look, you can still see the rabbit up there today." Hideo's hand creeps over, his fingers lacing with Finn's, and he raises their joined hands, pointing at a section of the full moon. "There is the rabbit, happily living on the moon with the old man." Finn tightens his grip on Hideo's fingers, and rests their joined hands on his thigh, staring up at the moon trying to see the rabbit. If he squints, he thinks he can just about make one out, but it might just be his imagination, and willingness to indulge Hideo.

"What's the word for rabbit in Japanese?" Finn's not really asking for any real reason other than to have an excuse to sit on this bench a little longer. It's nice, tranquil, peaceful and quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of the street.

"Usagi." Hideo tells him quietly, seemingly content to sit on this bench staring up at the moon a while longer.

"You-saggy?" Finn has a feeling he massacred that word; Hideo's fingers squeezing his own.

"Usagi... It's a long _Ooo_ sound, and short _e_." Hideo's fingers wriggle slightly, and Finn squeezes them lightly, stilling their small movements.

"Usagi? Yeah... I think I got it, usagi... Wait! That movie we watched tonight, wasn't the main chick called Usagi?" Finn's pretty sure she was, and he's sure there was something about moons in the subtitles. He'd not really been paying attention, he was much more interested in staring down at the little tangle of digits on his thigh, much more interested in watching Hideo's profile, and the calm contentment on his face.

"Ah."_ Yes, why do you think I told you this story? Cultural awareness, Finn, cultural awareness._ "It is a famous anime... The English is Sailor Moon..."

"And the main character is called Rabbit? Ha, that's kind of hilarious." Finn chuckles, and Hideo shakes his head, a smile on his lips.

"Ah." _If you say so._ Hideo doesn't seem inclined to argue with him. "We should go." Hideo says after a while, and Finn nods, expecting Hideo to pull his hand back, or at least make some kind of move to stand up, but he doesn't. All Hideo does is sit still, staring up at the moon. "It is strange." He says after a while.

"What is?" Finn asks, not really expecting an answer. They really should head back, they've been sitting out there for a while, and they've _another_ early start tomorrow morning.

"When I came to America, I was sure _everything_ would be different, but it is not." He turns to Finn, staring at him. There's very little distance between their faces. It would be very easy to lean forward, to claim a real kiss from Hideo, a kiss like he's not had since Christmas. The quick brushes of lips against lips with the Pocky wasn't enough, wasn't anywhere near enough.

"No?" Finn's voice is almost inaudible to himself, so he's no idea if Hideo heard what he said or not, but the smile that flits over Hideo's lips suggests that he heard.

"No... There are many things that are very different." Hideo's eyes drift closed, and for a second it looks like he's going to kiss Finn, but instead he changes his mind, and pulls away sharply, standing, and stuffing his hands determinedly into his pockets. "The moon is always the same." His tone is short and final, and he starts walking out of the park. Finn sighs, scrubbing his eyes with the hand Hideo had been holding, the fingers on that hand far warmer than those on the other. The Japanese aren't big on public displays of affection. This whole incident had to freak Hideo out a little, but _maybe_ he gets that these are _date_ dates more than Finn had assumed. They'd come _so_ close to kissing again, so close Finn could almost taste it, almost taste Hideo.

"Hey, wait up." He jogs up to Hideo, and bumps his shoulder lightly, drawing his attention from where it was fixated on the path. Something flits through Hideo's eyes, something _longing_. Finn wraps his arm around Hideo's shoulders briefly, pulling him close to Finn's side for a few seconds before letting him go. They take a few more steps, a few more feet are covered, before there's a tentative brush against Finn's fingers. He clings without thought, drawing Hideo closer to his side once more, their hands joined. It's a far bigger step than it might first appear. It's a tactic acknowledgement by Hideo that he is aware that there's more to these little outings than just two friends going out to see a movie together. It's a little admission that he's willing to see where this'll go, even if it's outside of his comfort zone, and it stirs something like butterflies in Finn's stomach. A fluttering sensation he's not felt since he was a kid going on his first date. "You know..." He smiles at nothing in particular, squeezing Hideo's hand gently. "The moon's the same in Ireland too."

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><p><em>The rabbit on the moon story is remembered as best I can from a drunk conversation with on of the Japanese teachers... but she was very drunk, and I was slightly more interested in K-TV. There are many different versions of the rabbit on the moon, and this is the one she told me.<em>

_Many thanks for the lovely and glorious reviews: **AshJoiVillette, kathy. dietrich .98, Miss. nogimmicksneeded, Pucket, and Guest.**_

**_I now know that I stand not alone on this ship (raft/dingy/plank of wood), but still if you liked it, if you ship it, and if you'd like more, please review!_**


	4. Sleeping Arrangements

_Warnings: Mild Slash__ (Finn Bálor/Hideo Itami),__ Mild Profanity, Fluff. (a continuation of the tale started in **Xmas Carols: Chapter 22 O Christmas Tree**)_

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><p>Another Thursday passes, another movie, another dinner, another <em>date<em>, but like the last few nothing more came of it, and there's a part of Finn that's growing frustrated with the lack of progress. It's not that he's desperate, well he is a little, but it's just that he'd hoped for something in the way of advancement. It's like a nice little stalemate that's going nowhere slowly. There's not really anyone to talk to about it, not really anyone he's comfortable discussing the details of his romantic endeavours with, so it's all a matter of keeping things to himself, and keeping his head down, doing what's necessary, and appearing to be normal.

It's been far easier for him to make friends with the people in the Performance Centre than he'd expected. A portion of them were his friends anyway, or were at least acquaintances or the friends of friends from the Indys. It's nice having options on who to spend time with, options that Hideo doesn't seem to have. The language barrier is one he's still working on, and is conquering slowly but surely. It's a frustrating process though; Finn's seen the evidence of that in many scored out sentences on random scraps of paper in the rubbish bin.

Saturday night sees Finn getting invited to go drinking with some of the boys, and whilst the invitation is extended to Hideo, he turns it down. There's a good part of Finn that wants to try and coerce Hideo into coming out. It'd be fun, or at least more fun for Finn, and hopefully at least enjoyable for Hideo. He's never really seen Hideo drunk, and he thinks it'd be all kinds of entertaining, if ultimately very confusing. He doesn't doubt that a drunk Hideo would abandon English, and have the strange sudden desire to sing karaoke that seemed to afflict most to the Japanese guys Finn's drunk with before.

"So... How is it rooming with the great Kenta?" It's a question Finn had been expecting, and in all honesty, he's not sure how to answer. "C'mon man... Gimme something. He must have awesome road stories." Sami's incredibly invested in this, and Kevin looks to be too.

"He's _quiet_... I've heard no good road stories from him... I've heard no stories in general." Finn laughs, and sips at his pint. He's heard one story, but he doesn't think that anyone really wants to hear Japanese folklore.

"We need to get this man on the Rosetta Stone." Kevin smirks, taking a draught of his own pint. "We're going to the zoo next weekend. He's not getting out of it."

"Go easy on that... I don't wanna have to listen to you ramble in French all the way to your wife." Sami mutters, catching Kevin's wrist as he goes for another drink.

"C'mon... I'm planning on getting you so drunk you start talking in Spanish." Kevin laughs, and Sami looks at him completely deadpan for a few seconds before he pulls a ridiculous face, his finger in the air.

"Numero Uno!" He takes a drink, and Kevin laughs, beside him Adrian is snorting loudly.

"I miss Generico... It was a fucking good gimmick, man." He takes a sip of his pint, and Sami nods vaguely.

"It wasn't bad... Made promos a lot easier, but you know, none of us are who we were... Gotta be someone different for the WWE. Isn't that right, Mighty Mouse?" Sami laughs, and Adrian scowls at him.

"If they're calling me up with a mouse gimmick, I'm pushing for Danger Mouse." Adrian downs the last of his pint, and Finn starts laughing. The mental image of Adrian with a white polo neck, and an eye patch is too much for him to be able to handle.

"Oh fuck me... And you can get Hornswoggle to be Penfold." He manages to get out between laughs, and that comment reduces Adrian to hopeless giggles. Over them Sami and Kevin exchange confused glances, and go to get more beer.

"So, you're inviting Kenta, right?" Kevin sets a pint down in front of Finn, an expectant look on his face.

"I dunno, man... He's not much for socialising, and he'll be wanting to study." Finn takes a drink, and Kevin looks mildly affronted.

"What better practical application of learning than zoos?" Kevin sounds utterly convinced of the value of the trip, and Finn can see arguing with him isn't going to get him anywhere, not that that seems to be stopping Sami.

"Seriously, Steen... _Owens_, just confess you wanna go see if you can hold baby animals. It saves time for all of us." Sami finishes his pint, and looks pointedly at Finn, setting his empty glass down deliberately.

"Of course I do, but seriously, he's one of the great Triple H acquisitions, like my good self. He should be out bonding with us... What is it you two get up to all night anyway?"

"Uh..." Finn blinks at him, unsure how to answer that question. What he and Hideo do is sit on the couch watching TV, and almost snuggling.

"Working out how to look more like badasses... Fucking old men, coming in here stealing all the cool lighting." Sami mutters, and Adrian laughs at him.

"C'mon, they're making the most of it, and besides before long they're gonna be in some kind of weird Bullet Club rip-off." Adrian chuckles, polishing off the dregs of his pint.

"We were in different promotions, different stables." Finn tries to argue, but there's dubious looks on the other three's faces.

"You think they care?" Kevin mutters, finishing his pint, looking at Finn's still half-full glass.

"Or they'll make you two feud... But you've never feuded before, and it does seem to be their current booking plan to rip-off old ROH storylines." Sami smirks, eyeing the beer in Finn's glass.

"Does that make me the Cabana in this feud?" Adrian asks laughing, and Sami joins in, shaking his head.

"I dunno... You're more ripped than Cabana could ever be." Kevin smirks, and Adrian pats his stomach.

"Most ripped man at the table, I am." He smirks, joining in on the glaring at Finn's glass.

"Well, it's all that trampolining, isn't it?" Finn downs his pint, setting the empty glass down, and getting to his feet intending to go buy the next round.

"Same again, lads?" Adrian stands, and smacks Finn's shoulder. "Help me carry them back will ya?"

"Aye, surely." Finn tails Adrian to the bar, and leans against it, staring at the myriad of bottles on the shelves.

"You should get him to come... I mean, I know it's silly, but he _is_ one of the boys like Kevin said, and he should be there." Adrian smiles awkwardly, and Finn nods. He thinks its high time Hideo stopped worrying about his English and used it some more on an audience wider than Finn. A trip to the zoo will be ridiculous, but more than likely fun, and there's a _slim_ chance they might get to hold baby animals. Finn has no doubts that Hideo and baby animals would essentially be the cutest thing on the planet, and he wants to see it for himself.

"If I have to, I'll tell we're going to play more golf." Finn smiles, and Adrian grins back at him, smacking his shoulder once more.

"Good man." Adrian's a man of few words, but the ones he gives are always heartfelt and honest, if nothing else Finn thinks he'd make a pretty good conversation partner for Hideo, so long as he can understand Adrian's occasionally thick accent.

They spend a few more hours drinking, before going their separate ways, Sami and Kevin talking loudly in rapidly slurred French, the only word Finn's able to make out is zoo, and he's beginning to think that maybe the trip next week might turn out to be more epic than he's expecting.

When Finn gets home, it's late, and Hideo's curled up on the couch, fast asleep. There's a book on the floor by the couch, ragged and dog-eared, clearly a well-read, and well-loved tome. Finn scoops it up, leafing through the pages covered in characters that mean nothing to him. He thinks he might actually have to start making good on his promise to learn Japanese, especially if this whole WWE thing doesn't work out. He knows he'd be welcomed back to Japan. He might even try and persuade Hideo to form a stable with him, the WWE rejects, if nothing else Gallows would be up for it, but there's not much he's not up for in all honesty.

"Sleeping on the couch isn't good for you." Hideo doesn't move, he seems completely out, and Finn sighs, sitting on the coffee table watching him sleep. "You ever see that episode of Friends where they all watch Chandler sleep? I'm feeling a bit like that now... Not Chandler obviously, but everyone else... And you're still sleeping." Finn stands, and considers his options. He could wake Hideo up, that'd be the easiest option, but not the one he's going to take, Finn already knows that, can tell by the fact he's still staring down at his sleeping roommate. The second option is putting him to bed. The unwritten, unspoken rule of not entering each other's room still stands though. He's not going to violate it to put Hideo into his own bed, so that leaves Finn's as the only acceptable choice. "Never thought this'd be how I finally got you into bed with me." Finn chuckles, and goes to open his bedroom door, checking that the way is free of any potential trip hazards. It'd be completely and utterly rude to be carrying Hideo anywhere only to trip and squash him.

Once Finn's satisfied that the way's clear, and the bed's turned down suitably, he comes back to the couch, finding himself standing, staring down at Hideo some more.

"You're damned cute when you're sleeping." He mumbles, scooping Hideo up, and carrying him to bed, setting him down gently. "There you go, all cosy and warm." There's a brief moment where Finn debates stripping off Hideo's clothes, but that'd be more than a little presumptuous. Not that taking him to bed in the first place wasn't, but he can justify that, at least to a certain extent. There's another short internal debate over how undressed Finn himself should get, and he settles on losing his trousers. Hideo is once more curled up; it seems Finn's roommate likes to sleep on his side, making him the perfect little spoon. Finn flicks off the light, and gets in bed, lying on his back, staring up at the darkness, listening to the quiet sound of Hideo's breathing. "I'm gonna cuddle you... Fair warning. Don't elbow me, alright?" Finn turns to his side, and scoots closer, easing an arm under Hideo's body, moulding himself to the curve of his spine. "No black eyes, okay? I gotta look presentable in the morning." Finn mumbles, and presses a kiss to the fabric covering Hideo's shoulder, lulled to sleep by the gentle rise and fall of his breath.

"Why am I in your bed?" It's a reasonable question, but not one Finn feels inclined to answer, all he does is wrap his arms around Hideo's waist tighter, and nuzzle at the back of his neck some. He'd been having a lovely dream where he'd had Hideo awake and in his bed, which he supposes is currently reality, but the dream had involved a lot less clothing. "Finn?"

"Hmm?" Hideo sounds slightly putout, and Finn takes that as a good sign. If he wanted to, it'd be no problem for him to get out of Finn's bed, and go to his own, but he seems quite content to stay in the loop of Finn's arms and be nuzzled.

"Why am I in your bed?" The question is given more softly, as though the answer is no longer really as important as it had been at first. Hideo sounds rather like he's going to fall back asleep, and leave awkward conversations for when it's light out.

"Cause sleeping on the couch is bad for your back?" It's undoubtedly a question, but Finn doesn't have a particularly good answer to Hideo's question. He's in Finn's bed because Finn wanted him there, and the opportunity presented itself.

"Ah." _I see, I'll remember to not fall asleep on the couch in the future then._ Hideo's hands rest over Finn's arms, his fingers drumming lightly on them, and Finn smiles against Hideo's shoulder.

"You staying?" It's rather pathetically hopeful question, but Finn feels pathetically hopeful, he _wants_ Hideo to stay, he likes being the big spoon to Hideo's warm, and sleepy little spoon.

"_Ah_." _I'm going back to sleep._ There's no more conversation from Hideo, his breathing evening out once more, sleep coming over him again, and Finn presses a kiss to his shoulder, feeling sleep rapidly creeping up on him too.

"Good."

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><p><em>Many thanks for the lovely and glorious reviews: <strong>kathy. dietrich .98, AshJoiVillette, Miss. nogimmicksneeded, Brokenspell77, and Bently05.<strong>_

**_I now know that I stand not alone on this ship (raft/dingy/plank of wood), but still if you liked it, if you ship it, and if you'd like more, please review!_**

**_If you've time and the inclination please have a vote on the poll on my profile! I'd super appreciate it! - There's a week left - polling will close on 2015/02/15_**


	5. Practical Application of Learning

_Warnings: Mild Slash__ (Finn Bálor/Hideo Itami),__ Mild Profanity, Fluff. (a continuation of the tale started in **Xmas Carols: Chapter 22 O Christmas Tree**)_

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><p>The next morning Finn wakes up to find Hideo still curled in his arms, unlike last night though, he's tense, coiled like he's poised for action.<p>

"You're awake?" Hideo's voice is emotionless, distantly cool, and Finn squeezes him tightly. He wants soft sleepy Hideo back, but it seems that he's too awake to be snuggled, and Finn mourns that fact.

"Aye... But its Sunday, ain't nothing stopping us from having a lie-in." Finn presses a kiss to the back of Hideo's head, hoping for the tension to seep from him, but if anything, it increases. Hideo pulls away from him, getting out of bed, and leaving Finn's room without a backward glance. It's not how he'd hoped Sunday morning would go, but in all honesty, it was probably always the way it was going to go down. He'd taken Hideo to bed without his consent, and rather than explain the whys and hows of the situation, they both seem to be ignoring each other. The rest of the day, the rest of the week, Hideo isn't really around, and Finn stalls for some way to try and bridge the gap between them.

Thursday comes, and Finn's not sure what the plan will be. Hideo's not been subtle in his avoiding Finn, spending his time hidden in his room, and as much as Finn wants to bang on the door and demand a conversation, he'd crossed the line in taking Hideo to bed in the first place. It might be better to wait and see if there'll be some move towards reconciliation on Hideo's part first. Yet, it seems like Hideo is going to leave things as they are. So, Finn resigns himself to watching TV alone, when there's the sound of Hideo's bedroom door opening.

"Finn?" There's a tentative edge to his voice, and Finn doesn't look over at him, doesn't want to come across as too desperate, too needy.

"Ah?" _What is it?_ It's a mean tactic, but the one syllable should be enough to act as an answer. Hideo takes a deep breath, and the only sound is that of the door to his room closing once more. Finn closes his eyes, mentally berating himself.

"Are we..." There's a heavy pause as Hideo sits on the couch by him, staring at the crappy US TV show Finn's been gazing at without watching.

"You wanna?" Finn knows what the rest of Hideo's question was going to be, and whilst there's a _big_ part of him that'd like to go and watch a movie, there's a far larger part that wants to talk about last weekend. He wants to ease the tension from between them. Hideo stands suddenly, and Finn turns to watch him fill the kettle, putting it on to boil whilst he fills the teapot with leaves.

"Not tonight." He mutters, coming back over to sit on his end of the couch. There's a pensive set to his shoulders, and Finn smiles over at him.

"Wanna watch something online?" The connector cable is still plugged into the back of the TV, and fetching one of the two laptops in the apartment would be easy enough.

"No... I..." Hideo sighs, and moves closer to Finn, the kettle finishes boiling, and Finn goes to pour the hot water into the pot, bringing it, and two cups back over to the table.

"Wanna stare at ridiculous shit neither one of us understands?" Finn grins over at him, flicking to a Mexican soap opera. Hideo laughs, and doesn't move away when Finn sits close enough for their thighs to be pressed together, instead, his arm drapes over the back of the couch, his fingers brushing Finn's shoulder.

"You any plans for today?" It's possibly not a great idea to ask on the day of the trip, but Finn had come to the conclusion that asking any sooner would give Hideo too much time to think of a valid excuse to get out of coming on this expedition to the zoo. Since their evening spent being bewildered by Mexican soaps, things have been _better_. The strange tension between them hasn't really gone, but it's morphed into something else, something that feels like the day before a thunderstorm.

"Ah?" _Why? You're wearing a face I don't trust_. Hideo looks at him, and Finn grins, flopping down to sit by him on the couch.

"There are _plans_..." Finn picks up his cup of tea, and resists the urge to snuggle up. He's _almost_ certain that he has no idea if Hideo would or wouldn't like being snuggled. They've yet to discuss last weekend, yet to talk about anything of substance, and it's frustrating. Leaving conversations until almost too late is a habit Finn thinks he's going to have to get out of when it comes to his roommate. They need to talk about what happened a week ago, and he should have mentioned this trip to the zoo sooner.

"_Plans_?" There's a sceptical edge to Hideo's voice, and Finn smiles brightly at him, busying himself with drinking his tea. "What are these plans?" Before Finn can answer there's a sharp knock on the door. Hideo glances back at it, and then to Finn. "_Your _plans?" Finn shrugs rather than answers, but he supposes it's more than likely the instigator of the zoo based plans. He wouldn't put it past Kevin to show up to make sure that there was no way Hideo or Finn could weasel out of his zoo expedition.

"You gonna get the door?" Finn smiles as sweetly as he can manage, and Hideo huffs an irritated sigh as he gets to his feet, his hand mussing Finn's hair on his way past. It's a casual little gesture, and not one that should send shivery sparks of electricity down Finn's spine, but it does, and he can't say he minds overly.

"G'morning Itami-san." The familiarly accented drawl of Kevin comes to Finn, and he can picture the slightly uncomfortable expression that'll be flitting over Hideo's face.

"Good morning, Kevin?" Hideo sounds hesitant, and Finn turns to watch Kevin toe off his sneakers as he comes into the little apartment, taking a seat on the end of the couch closest to the armchair.

"So we're all meeting here. Any coffee, or another cup at least?" Hideo sets another cup down on the table, and pours a cup of tea for Kevin. "You didn't tell him, did you?" There's accusation on Kevin's face, and Hideo turns to look at Finn, his eyes narrowed as a sheepish smiles spreads over Finn's lips.

"Ha... Uh... No-" The rest of what Finn was going to say is interrupted by another knock, and he bounces to his feet, letting Sami, and Adrian in. "Morning lads." Adrian nods at Finn's greeting and Sami pulls him into a hug.

"There's tea? I'm dying for a cuppa." Adrian's already seated himself down in what was Finn's spot, and Hideo's gone to fetch another two cups. "This real tea? I'd kill for some Tetley right now... This American stuff, it's just not the same." Finn nods in agreement with Adrian's lamenting on American tea. Sami takes the other spot on the couch, leaving Finn with the armchair.

"It is _green_ tea... You will like it." Hideo pours Adrian a cup, then one for Sami. With three extra people in the apartment, there's only one seat left, and Finn's already taken it. There's a brief moment of hesitation before Hideo perches on the arm of the chair. Finn manages to hide a smirk behind his teacup, but the slightly amused glance from Sami suggests it wasn't hidden quite fast enough.

"Right... So, the Zoo Enthusiast is driving, and we're_ all_ leaving after this tea." Sami places a map down on the table, spreading it wide.

"The Zoo?" Hideo glances down at Finn, and Finn smiles hopefully back at him. Hideo shakes his head, seemingly understanding that this is what the _plans_ were. "Hmm... Are there panda?"

"Uh... No." Sami mutters, he and Kevin crowded around the map, as Adrian helps himself to more tea.

"Tiger?" Hideo sets his cup down on the table getting a refill from Adrian, and taking the now empty spot on the couch where Kevin had been sitting, the map apparently requiring him to be up close and personal with it.

"No tigers... No pandas... _But_ there are monkeys, and frogs..." Kevin glances up, and Hideo snorts dismissively.

"It is not a good zoo if there are no tigers." He takes a drink of his tea, ignoring the mildly putout expression on Kevin's face. Kevin's' love of zoos is odd, but kind of endearing.

"Any elephants?" Finn asks hopefully, and Hideo laughs, shaking his head, having clearly sneaked a peek at the map.

"There's spiders?" Sami offers, and at this, Adrian pales.

"I'm not going anywhere _near_ any spiders, man." He mutters, and Finn glances at him. "What? They freak me out... Too many legs."

"They taste delicious." Hideo smirks, and Adrian turns to him in disgust. "I'm told at least... They're..." There's a pause as he fishes for the right word, looking to Finn for aide.

"A delicacy?" Finn offers.

"Ah." _Thank you, that's the word I wanted._ Hideo smiles at him in gratitude. "In Thailand, they cook them in oil... Many spider as big as your head on sticks." Hideo smirks, and Adrian looks like he might throw up.

"I don't think the zoo people would appreciate us eating the exhibits." Sami mutters, and Kevin nods, his attention still caught by the map.

"Cheetahs! They have cheetahs." He says triumphantly, taking up his cup of tea, and drinking from it. "So we ready, gentlemen?" He stands, gathering the empty teacups, and depositing them in the sink. Sami and Adrian stand, going back over to the door to out their shoes back on. It's just then that it occurs to Finn that they'd not been asked to take them off in the first place. It'd been an automatic reaction to entering the apartment he and Hideo share, clearly something remembered from their time in Japan.

"You know... If you object on a moral level, you can probably get out of this." Finn leans closer to Hideo, almost whispering in his ear. An odd little look flits over Hideo's face, and something that looks like a shiver passes through him.

"Ah." He stands, and for the first time in all the time Finn's known Hideo, he's not sure on the meaning of that little syllable.

Once at the zoo, it seems that Kevin and Hideo have bonded far more than anyone was expecting. Very quickly, it became apparent that they were intent on getting as close to as many animals as possible, and where they could they were going to hold as many different things as they were allowed.

"Who'd have thought this would be how we _finally_ got him to talk to us." Sami mutters, walking along beside Finn, sipping at a soda, his eyes trained on the backs of Kevin and Hideo, their heads bent together, slowly planning where to go next, and which animals to attempt to cross off they _I've held one of those_ list.

"Next time Kevin suggests going to the zoo, I'll not even bother arguing about it." Finn shakes his head, as their intrepid leaders pause at a junction, consulting the map, and the sign by the path. "Where we going next?" Finn thinks he might be standing a _little _too close to Hideo, but no one seems to be paying attention, Sami and Adrian are lost in a conversation about which one of them looks better in Sami's hat, and Kevin is fixated on the sign.

"Insects or birds." Hideo snags the soda in Finn's hands, taking a sip. "Why is it _so_ sweet?" He looks deeply distressed, and Finn shrugs at his question.

"Lord knows... It's not even that sweet up in Canada." Kevin glances over at them, and Finn feels _slightly_ self-conscious over the fact there's barely any space between his chest, and Hideo's back, but Kevin doesn't seem inclined to comment. "My vote is for bugs. Watching Adrian freak out will be hilarious." He smirks, and Adrian comes over at the sound of his name.

"No. No bugs, I'm not going anywhere _near_ anything with more legs than a dog." He sounds indignant, and Sami's hat is on his head making him look oddly like he should be standing in a field by a tractor, or at least talking about going down the pit.

"It looks better on Sami." Finn snags the hat from Adrian's head, and sets it on his own. "Though I'm sure I look _fabulous_." Hideo laughs at him, and turns his attention back to the map in his hands.

"You're all no good thieves." Sami mutters, snagging the hat from Finn's head. "I'm good with bugs. Gentlemen?" His gaze is fixated on Finn and Hideo, a wry twist on his lips. "Your opinion?"

"Insects." Hideo nods, folding the map up, and Sami laughs.

"Well, bugs it is. Let's go." He starts walking away, and Finn stares at his back.

"Doesn't my opinion count?" It's a pitiful little complaint, and it draws laughter from everyone but Hideo.

"It did not." Hideo shrugs, catching up to Sami, and stealing his hat. If Finn's honest, he thinks it suits Hideo best, but he's biased. Hideo turns to Finn with a grin, ducking out from Sami's attempts are retrieving his hat. "If you agree, four-one, if not three-two. Democracy doesn't always work." Hideo laughs, and starts running, Sami hot on his heels screaming about his hat.

"And there's no way you were gonna disagree with Hideo, Bálor. A - you've got it bad, B - you're not subtle, and C - he knows all about it." Kevin laughs, and starts ambling towards the insect house.

"Sometimes, I hate these arseholes." Adrian mumbles, and Finn looks over at him. "What? We're friends, but they're still arseholes." He shrugs, and Finn rubs his eyes, trailing along behind, wondering if he should try and be a little more subtle in his attraction to Hideo.

The zoo takes all day, and traumatises Adrian to the extent that Hideo, of all people, volunteered to buy him a drink at the little Irish pub he and Finn frequent on Thursday nights. The tarantula incident, that truly traumatised Adrian, might have been Finn's fault, but there's no way he's admitting that, and there's no way he's even a little bit sorry for it. The look on Adrian's face when that massive beastie had started walking along his head had been worth the sharp little kick Adrian had given his shin, and more than worth the sound of Hideo choking on laughter.

"We need to go to Animal Kingdom next time. They'll have even bigger spiders... And probably tigers too." Kevin says once he's finished his first pint. Sami nods beside him, whilst Adrian pales significantly, taking a long draught of his pint.

"Do not worry. You can have Mickey help you. Mice stick together." Hideo smirks, setting his empty pint glass down, and Adrian looks torn between laughing and being offended.

"I'm not getting called up on a mouse gimmick... I better not be... The only way I'd do it is if it was Danger Mouse." Adrian sinks his pint, and Finn follows suit, tapping Sami shoulder.

"We'll get the next on in." Finn smiles slightly, and Sami stands finishing his pint as he follows Finn to the bar.

"_So_... _Hideo_, huh?" Sami smirks at Finn, getting a dismissive snort back. "C'mon... Kevin's right, isn't he?" The smirk on Sami's face takes a gleeful, childlike turn, and Finn sighs nodding. "Ha! I _knew_ it!" He crows, and Finn scowls at him.

"I hate you, both of you... _All_ of you." Finn mutters, ordering five more pints from the bartender.

"I like this pub though... It's very European." Sami smiles, and Finn nods. The little pub that he and Hideo visit on Thursdays is incredibly European, or at least incredibly Irish.

"Stop changing the subject." Finn scowls, and Sami laughs at him.

"What? You have a crush, Hideo isn't blind, and neither are we, big deal." Sami shrugs, and eyes the peanuts on the wall behind the bar. "You want some nuts?"

"I've no idea if that's a thinly-veiled joke or a serious question." Finn grumbles, the smile on Sami's face doesn't offer any clarification, and to be honest, him buying a bag doesn't help either. When they get back to their table by the fire, Adrian has taken Finn's seat beside Hideo, Kevin on his other side, all three of them crowded around Adrian's phone avidly watching something on it.

"The fuck are you watching?" Sami hovers behind them, trying to see the little screen.

"Sounds like Danger Mouse..." Finn sets the pints of beer he's carrying down, taking a long drink from his own.

"These two had never even heard of it, man. Classic British telly! I had to share..." Adrian grabs his pint, and throws an arm around Hideo's shoulders. "I'm coming over with my box-set next weekend. We'll get you up to speed, my man." He laughs, his accent thickening in his own excitement. There's an unexpectedly happy smile on Hideo's face, and he takes a long drink from his pint.

"This is a general invitation, right?" Sami takes a seat beside Kevin, sipping at his pint slowly. "I'm sure I can find some classic Canadian kid's shows..." Sami takes another sip, and Kevin nods.

"Yes! I'll find something in French, with no fucking subtitles so you can all suffer." He chuckles, and Finn shakes his head, he's tempted to look out something in Gaelic, but that'd be mean to everyone involved.

"Urutoraman." Hideo smiles over at him, and Finn raises an eyebrow. "If this is to be how we spend next Saturday. I will provide Urutoraman."

"Ultra-man? Evil." Finn laughs, tapping Hideo's shin under the table lightly. He can see the ridiculousness of that show going down horrifically well, especially with Adrian.

"Ah." _They'll love it, and you know they will_. Hideo takes another drink, and Finn taps his shin once more, getting a little tap to his ankle from Hideo in return.

"So we have another date planned for next weekend? Good." Kevin grins, and his arm joins Adrian's over Hideo's shoulders. "This English shit is way easier to learn when you _have_ to use it, my friend."

"Ah." Hideo nods vaguely, and Kevin taps his glass against Hideo's. "Kanpai?"

"Kanpai." Finn knocks his glass against Hideo's too, and drains his pint, watching Hideo follow suit. Kevin shakes his head, and takes his arm back from around Hideo, sipping at his pint more sedately.

Over the course of the rest of the night, Finn and Hideo accidentally get into a drinking competition. The others of their group were surprisingly mature, one or two pints more was all they had, whilst Finn and Hideo sink _several_. It wasn't what Finn had expected out of the night, but he's not sure it's a bad thing. The little pub is close enough to where everyone stays to walk back, and the nervously protective hovering of Adrian is sweet. He's clearly been designated as being on watch, and it'll ensure Finn and Hideo get home okay if nothing else. The best thing about drunk Hideo, Finn has decided, is that he's very willing to be all but cuddled; he's quite content to stumble along with Finn's arm around his shoulders, and his own arm about Finn's waist under the pretext of stability. Finn's not stupid, he _knows_ Hideo's nowhere near as drunk as he's making out, but then again he's not either. It's all a show for _their_ friends, and whilst he knows Hideo would argue that the other three men are Finn's friends and not his, all five of them are each other's friends now. There's not much Hideo can do about that, because there's plenty of evidence to confirm they're his friends too. From the fact that they'd all just spent all day together, to the plans for next Saturday, to the fact that somehow Sami's hat has been re-stolen and is once more on Hideo's head. These are the actions of friends, and Hideo's going to have to just deal with that.

When they get back to the apartment, Adrian had hung about looking nervous. Finn could hear him mentally panicking that one or both of them would somehow die in the night, but Hideo had explicitly promised that he would confirm that they were both still alive in the morning. There was a little bit of Finn that was mildly putout that he wasn't trusted to give the confirmation of continued life text, but he supposes that if he had to choose between himself and Hideo for accurate information, he'd pick Hideo too. At Hideo's promise, Adrian had left them with a slightly drunken hug, and a loudly cheerful _goodnight_.

Hideo goes straight to the bathroom, the door closing behind him, and Finn perches on the back of the couch. Today was fun, but it was a distraction. What happened a week ago needs to be talked about, they can't keep avoiding it forever. Hideo leaves the bathroom, heading towards his bedroom door.

"Hideo..." Now that Finn has his attention, he's not sure what to do with it. He _knows_ he needs to bring up last weekend, he needs to get the air cleared between them, but the how of that clearing is daunting. Hideo stares at him, a lazy little smile on his lips. "We should... I mean... We need to..."

"Ah?" The smile on Hideo's lips morphs into a smirk, and Finn can feel a frown on his face. "Finn... Come here." Hideo beckons him closer, his hand flapping in that odd way Asian people use to encourage people to come to them. Finn steps closer, so close he can smell the beer, underneath the scent of toothpaste, clinging to Hideo's breath. "Tomorrow we will talk. Tonight..." The smirk falls from Hideo's lips, and he leans closer still, his nose brushing Finn's. "Tonight, we will sleep." He smirks once more, and tries to turn away to go to bed, but Finn's faster, his hands catching Hideo's shoulders, holding him in place.

"You're a fucking tease." Finn mutters before kissing him. There's a brief moment of hesitation on Hideo's part, but it's quickly overcome, and his hands are in Finn's hair, tugging lightly, his nails scratching at Finn's scalp. When he breaks the kiss there's something soft in his eyes, something warm, and a smile on his lips that makes Finn want to kiss him again, but he steps away determinedly.

"Oyasumi, Finn." Just before Hideo can close his door, Finn steps forward, and brushes a quick peck of a kiss to his lips.

"G'night... I'm holding you to talking to me tomorrow, even if it takes all day, we're _talking_." Hideo nods vaguely, and Finn frowns at him, wanting, _needing _an answer in the affirmative.

"Ah." _Okay, okay, but not now. Now, I'm tired._ Hideo's lips brush Finn's cheek, and the sound of his door closing is almost as soft as that kiss had been.

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><p><em>Many thanks for the lovely and glorious reviews: <strong>Jack the Sinister Jack the Just<strong>**, Ms. nogimmicksneeded, AshJovillette, littleone1389 Brokenspell77, and Chang-Tong.**_

**_I now know that I stand not alone on this ship (raft/dingy/plank of wood), but still if you liked it, if you ship it, and if you'd like more, please review!_**


	6. Love is a Universal Language

_Warnings: Mild Slash__ (Finn Bálor/Hideo Itami),__ Mild Profanity, Fluff. (a continuation of the tale started in **Xmas Carols: Chapter 22 O Christmas Tree**)_

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><p>"Is <em>not dead<em> an okay message?" Hideo's voice comes as a surprise, and Finn glances over to where it came from. He's standing in the doorway of his bedroom, his phone in his hand, his hair in utter disarray.

"To Adrian? Yeah, that covers all the bases." Finn laughs, and Hideo nods, his attention caught once more by the phone in his hands.

"Ah. Make tea?" Hideo wanders over to the bathroom, and closes the door behind him, leaving Finn to make tea as requested. He supposes that they're getting this talking out of the way nice and early, so that the rest of the day can be spent more pleasantly. At least he hopes it'll be more pleasant. He knows what he wants out of this conversation. He wants the right to snuggle up to Hideo. He wants the right to hold his hand in dark movie theatres, or streets when Hideo's in the mood for PDAs. He wants to be allowed to kiss him, to be kissed by him. Finn wants a relationship, and if he gets one is entirely dependent on Hideo. It's a mildly terrifying prospect. Someone else having so much control over something so important, but that's the way of relationships. Your heart and soul rest in the clutches of someone else, and there's nothing much you can do about it really.

Hideo emerges from the bathroom, his hair still a fluffy mess, and takes a seat on the couch. Finn carries the teapot, and two cups over, setting them down, letting Hideo pour out the tea. Hideo takes one cup as his, and settles back against the couch.

"Today is tomorrow." Hideo says softly, and Finn laughs.

"Today is today." He smiles over at Hideo, but is ignored by him, he's staring down at the steaming cup of tea in his hands instead of looking at Finn.

"Today is yesterday's tomorrow." Hideo frowns at the sentence he's just said, as though he's not sure that the words make much of any sense.

"Well, every day is some other day's tomorrow..." Finn chuckles, sipping at his tea.

"Stop. Last night was to sleep. Today is to talk. Talk to me." Hideo says sharply, taking a drink from his teacup.

"Talk? Okay... The first thing I need to say is I'm sorry." Finn glances over at Hideo, but he's still focussed on the contents of his teacup, not looking at Finn.

"Ah?" _For what?_ It's not quite the answer Finn had been hoping for. He'd been banking on Hideo letting him off somewhat easily by graciously accepting an unspecific apology, but it seems that Hideo wants him to be a little more exacting in what he's apologising for.

"Last Saturday... I shouldn't have taken you to bed with me." Finn fidgets, turning to face Hideo, but he remains far less interesting than the contents of a teacup. "I'm sorry."

"Ah... Why did you?" Hideo still doesn't look up from his tea, and Finn bites back a sigh. He's not entirely sure what he'd been expecting, but this is what he's dealing with, and his expectations are irrelevant at this stage. Hideo had ordered him to talk, and Finn supposes that talk is what he'll have to do if he wants to get anywhere.

"Why? Fair question..." He finishes his tea, and sets the empty cup on the table. "One sleeping on the couch is bad for your back." At this, Hideo snorts in amusement, sipping at his tea, glancing over at Finn from the corner of his eye. "It is!" Finn smirks at him, and Hideo shakes his head, drinking more tea. "And two... Two." Finn sighs, trailing off, not sure how to explain that the main reason Hideo had woken up in Finn's bed was simply that Finn had wanted to share a bed with him.

"Two?" Hideo prompts, turning to look at Finn, his eyes narrowed.

"I wanted you in bed with me." Finn comes to the conclusion that honest is the best policy, but he can't help fidgeting under the blank gaze of Hideo, unable to read the lack of emotion in his eyes. "I wanted to... I dunno. The opportunity was there, and I seized it." Finn shrugs, and Hideo turns away from him, finishing his tea, keeping on holding the empty cup, staring down into it as though looking for something to say.

"Why?" Hideo asks softly, his nose scrunching in displeasure at his question, his eyes narrowed as they stare into the empty cup. He'd clearly wanted to say something more eloquent but either didn't have the words, or couldn't put them together the way he wanted.

"Why? Jesus... You don't make things easy, do you?" Finn laughs nervously, running a hand over his head. "Why... Fuck... Because?" He smiles, and takes the empty cup from Hideo. "Because I wanted to share a bed with you, because I wanted to hold you?" He probably shouldn't have made that a question, but it was, and there's not much he can do about it now.

"Why?" Hideo seems desperately reluctant to look at Finn, even without the cup in his hands; his eyes are still fixated downwards.

"Why what?" Finn sighs, moving closer, wondering if it'd be too presumptuous to turn Hideo's face to him. He doesn't want to make this any more awkward, but at this stage he can't see how it could be any less. Hideo sighs, and rest his head back against the couch, his eyes closed.

"Why take me to bed? What was your intention?" He sounds torn between annoyed, and intrigued. It's an odd tone of voice, and Finn watches a frown spread over his lips.

"My intention was to _sleep_ whilst cuddling you." Finn mutters softly, moving a shade closer. "My _only_ intention was to cuddle you."

"So why not wake me up? Why not ask?" Hideo opens his eyes to stare at the ceiling, his eyes fixated on one of the many little holes caused by the tacks Finn had used to affix Christmas decorations to it.

"You were asleep." Finn says softly, a laugh in his tone. "You're really cute when you're asleep." Hideo laughs at him, and Finn can feel a smile on his lips. "It's true... I mean you're pretty cute whilst awake, but sleeping? You're adorable."

"Ah." _Bullshit_.

"It's true!" Finn protests, and Hideo tilts his head slightly to look at Finn sceptically.

"I'm a grown man, being called _kawaī_ is not a compliment." Hideo smirks, and Finn laughs at him softly.

"Pff... You can be as grown as you like, doesn't stop you being cute." Finn shrugs, and a frown spread over Hideo's lips. "Still cute." Finn mutters, poking Hideo's cheek, getting an unexpectedly bitten finger for his teasing.

"In Japan..." Hideo fidgets, and sits up, picking up the teapot, and pours tea into Finn's cup, waiting for Finn to set Hideo's own empty cup on the table. When Finn doesn't surrender it, he merely takes what was once Finn's cup, and drinks from it. "What are you?"

"What am I?" It's not the question Finn had been expecting, but if he's honest, he's not sure what he had been expecting. "I don't know what you mean." He fills what was formerly Hideo's cup with tea, and takes a sip.

"You have been with a man, yes?" The question suddenly makes sense, and Finn isn't sure how to answer it. He's kind of, but not really been with a man, he's kind of, but not really interested in men. He's very interested in Hideo though, and he is decidedly a man. It's a little more complicated than gay or not gay; his sexuality is a little more fluid than that.

"You have?" Finn stalls, and Hideo nods once sharply, taking a long draught of his tea.

"In the dojo... It is a different thing to a _relationship_. In the dojo there is a..." He trails off, his eyebrows knitting as he fishes for the word. He sets his tea down, and raises one hand, the other he lowers, trying to mime the word he wants.

"A hierarchy?" Finn offers, and Hideo turns to him. "A structure, one on top and everyone else below." He offers by explanation. Hideo nods, his lips silently forming the word. "Hierarchy." Finn repeats, and Hideo nods once more.

"Ah, a hierarchy. There is one of these in a dojo. The bottom of the hierarchy is the uke." He frowns slightly, and Finn stares at him blankly.

"Uke? You're gonna have to explain that, cause I don't know what it means." Finn nudges Hideo's shoulder after a painfully long silence, getting a mild glare for it.

"I'm thinking how to say." Hideo mutters, and Finn moves closer still, his thigh pressing against Hideo's.

"Think louder." He rests his chin on Hideo's shoulder. Hideo glances at him, a slight smile on his lips. "Still not hearing the thought process." Finn laughs softly.

"The one who receives." Hideo pulls an odd expression at his explanation, but Finn nods in understanding. He gets the meaning of the word now.

"Wait... Wait a minute." His mind is making a few leaps in logic, joining a few dots, and he thinks he gets something of Hideo's reluctance. "Were you pissed about me taking you to bed?"

"Pissed? I was not drunk." Hideo pulls away from Finn slightly so he can turn to face him, confusion colouring his expression.

"Uh... In _proper_ English, it's drunk or angry... In American English it's only angry..." Finn smiles slightly, and Hideo sighs dramatically, rubbing his forehead.

"How to tell the difference when you use it then?" He asks, tucking his legs up underneath him.

"Context." This gets an unimpressed snort from Hideo, and Finn grins over at him. "English is a contextual language, sorry." He's not sure why he's apologising, but it seems appropriate, and Hideo nods, waving his hand as though dismissing the apology.

"I was not angry..." He rests his elbow on the back of the couch, and props his head up on his fist, his gaze fixed on Finn.

"You didn't talk to me for a week." Finn laughs, and Hideo shakes his head.

"Four days, and you did not talk to me." He counters, and Finn opens his mouth to protest, but realises there's no arguing with that, it's entirely true. "Ah." _See, I win._

"Alright, alright... You got me there, but you left." The smirk that had been on Hideo's lips falls away, leaving him looking blankly at Finn. "Why did you?"

"Hierarchy." He says, and Finn nods slightly. He'd expected that. There's no real _hierarchy_ in their private lives, but Finn had been big spoon, it might have set a precedent in Hideo's mind, and if there was a hierarchy in the dojos as Hideo said, then he'd have been on top for a good long while. To suddenly be shunted down the totem pole would disconcerting to say the very least.

"So... Where do we go from here?" Finn asks softly, he's not sure where they go, how they move forward, but he _knows_ where he'd like to go. He knows what he'd like to come from this, but the balls in Hideo's court.

"From here? I don't understand... The hierarchy is in place isn't it?" A sly smile spreads over Hideo's lips. "You're higher... If that's what you want, who am I to argue." Finn shakes his head, that's not what he wants. He doesn't want this to be about being higher or lower, he doesn't want this to be some kind of weird respect thing. He doesn't want a _relationship_ based on obligation with Hideo; he wants one based on respect, on equality.

"What do you want?" Finn asks, and something odd flits through Hideo's eyes. "There's no hierarchy here. No top, no bottom. We're equal." Finn holds his hands level, trying to illustrate his point.

"Equal? Hmm..." Hideo smiles slightly, and shifts so that his legs are stretched out over Finn's thighs. "No top, no bottom?" He smirks, and Finn nods. "Then you do not mean to have sex?" Hideo laughs, and Finn can feel his cheeks burning. "What? I did research... You think me too _naive_, Finn." Hideo laughs again, and Finn glares at him.

"Asshole." Finn swats Hideo's thigh, then lets his hand rest on it, fingers stroking the skin absently. "Sex is a ways off, isn't it? We're still being idiots about actually _talking_ to each other. We're going to have to get better at that before we even _think_ about sex."

"Ah." _You're right._ "Talk it is difficult... Many words I have thrown away trying to make this sound okay." Hideo draws his legs back up, and Finn looks over at him. "What I want was not what I was expecting." Hideo smiles awkwardly. "I had prepared to submit to hierarchy." He shrugs, and Finn snorts, shaking his head.

"No hi-" Hideo cuts him off with a finger raised in the air.

"No hierarchy means we make decision together, yes?" Finn nods at Hideo's words, and he thinks he knows what Hideo will say next.

"I wanna keep going with this." Finn blurts out before Hideo can ask him what he wants. He _knows_ what he wants, and it's that simple. He wants to keep going, to keep taking little baby steps, to see where this takes them.

"Like this?" Hideo asks, and Finn nods, smiling when Hideo shifts to curl up at his side. "I see... We keep going forward, and see where we arrive?"

"Ah." _YES! Together, stumbling onwards_. Finn's arm wraps around Hideo's shoulders, and he's beyond relieved when Hideo almost _melts_ against him. "You like this? It's okay, right?"

"This?" Hideo glances up at him. "This is okay... But we need more tea... And food... I will cook, you will make tea, then we will watch TV? It's Sunday... We can be lazy, yes?" Hideo stands, and offers Finn a hand, pulling him to his feet. Once Finn's upright, Hideo's arms wind around him, holding him close. This is what he'd hoped for last week, a soft lazy day spent holding his roommate, a day where he's allowed to feel the warmth of Hideo pressed against him, where he's allowed to maybe sneak a few kisses here and there. "Then tomorrow, we will train, and when it comes on Thursday we will go on a date, and Saturday _our_ friends will fill our house?"

"We're gonna need another chair." Finn wraps his arms around Hideo, smiling at him. "And maybe next Sunday we can snuggle on the couch some more?"

"That will not be special." Hideo snorts, and Finn looks at him. "I am to be _snuggled_ all week. What use is a boyfriend if not to be snuggled by?" Hideo laughs, and Finn shakes his head at him, placing a kiss to the end of Hideo's nose.

"Boyfriend? We're dating now?" Finn asks, hope colouring his tone.

"We have been dating for weeks... Did you not _know_?" Hideo sounds incredulous, and Finn stares at him. All this time, he's been worried that Hideo didn't understand that Finn had been as ardently pursuing him as he could. He'd suspected Hideo had known their dates were _dates_, but he'd not thought he'd known to this extent. He really has been thinking Hideo is too naive, he's far sharper than Finn had been giving him credit for.

"I knew." Finn mutters, and Hideo laughs before kissing him, a slow thorough kiss, that has Finn clutching at him desperately to keep him from breaking it. "I just didn't think you knew." Finn's far more breathless than he'd expected to be after than one kiss, but he'd not complaining, he'd like another far too much to complain. "So we're a couple now? Like proper _couple_-couple?"

"Ah." _Yes, now shut up, and kiss me again._

* * *

><p><em>Many thanks for the lovely and glorious reviews: <strong> Ms. nogimmicksneeded, kathy. dietrich. 98, InYourHonour, Chang-Tong, <strong>__**Brokenspell77, **Jack the Sinister Jack the Just****, Rebellecherry, **and kiss316.**_

**_Thank you, please review._**


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